Gates, Putin to face off over missile defence

Over The North Sea, Apr 23: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates meets today with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address criticism of Washington's European missile defence plans, a dispute that has helped drive relations between the countries to a low.

Gates will press Putin on a deal offered by American officials to Russians last week to share some benefits of the missile defence system, according to a senior administration official travelling with the Pentagon chief.

That offer included sharing data from the system and, perhaps, technology used in missile defence.

The argument between Washington and Moscow over US plans to place missile defence assets in Poland and the Czech Republic has drawn Cold War comparisons.

While Gates will try to ease Putin's concerns, the Pentagon intends to move forward whether Russia cooperates, the US official travelling with Gates reiterated en route to Moscow.

''We're going to continue to make this effort with Russia but we're also very clear, whether Russia cooperates with us or not is really up to Russia,'' the official said yesterday.

Washington wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic, at a cost of 3.5 billion dollars, to defend against missile threats from Iran.

US officials regularly cast the issue in technical, not political, terms and argue the science is simple. The assets Washington wants to put in Poland and the Czech Republic cannot be used to defeat a Russian missile, they say.

But Russians voice both technical and strategic problems with US plans. Some Russian officials have argued the sites are so close to Russia's borders that they could impact the country's security. Some also say the United States could eventually equip the sites with offensive weapons aimed at Russia.

Russia Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said he held little hope the discussions would yield a quick resolution on the missile defence dispute.

''We would want to hope that Washington listens to our views and concerns, although I am not much of an optimist on this issue,'' he said.

Broader Concerns

Some critics also see broader strategic problems with the United States putting missile defence assets in formerly Soviet-allied territory, casting it as an incursion into Moscow's sphere of influence. A second senior administration official traveling with Gates dismissed discussion of ''spheres of influence,'' saying the United States would negotiate with Poland and the Czech Republic as sovereign nations.

''We don't believe in spheres of influence in general and we believe that the countries that emerged from the wreckage of the old Soviet empire are actually sovereign countries not in anybody's sphere of influence,'' that official said.

Relations between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated as Washington accuses Moscow of rolling back on democracy and trying to revive past imperialism, and Moscow charges Washington of acting unilaterally and meddling in its domestic affairs.

Missile defence is just one issue through which the tension plays out. Russia and the United States propose distinct approaches to Iran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is intended to develop atomic weapons. Washington also criticizes Russia for selling anti-aircraft missile systems to Tehran, saying it undermines regional security.

The US defense secretary will travel to Poland and Germany to discuss missile defence after his talks in Moscow.

Reuters